Blog

Dropping the formal performance process was quite a contentious idea a few years ago. How will people know how they are tracking? How will we rank them? How will we determine remuneration?

Over 15 years ago, I was leading a cross-functional project team of 70+ people. At short notice, I was asked to participate in the pilot of internal training program and provide feedback to strengthen the program before it was launched across the organisation. The...

Talented individuals don’t automatically form a talented team! You already know that, right?

In an environment of low trust, or when people lack self or team awareness, differences in style can be judged as ‘difficult’ or ‘undermining’. (The internal dialogue goes something like ‘You and I think and operate differently. I must be right, so you must be wrong!’) These judgements cause people to become defensive and more entrenched in their position.

Many years ago as a young leader I did a weeklong residential training program at Mt Eliza Business School. One of our activities was a full-day simulation where we were given roles in a fictitious company and handed an ‘in-tray’ of documents to read the night before....

In my pantry there is a shelf that is neat and organized with stackable plastic boxes; everything is labeled and in its place*. It’s a control freak’s paradise!  

Do you sometimes find communication challenging in your leadership team? Perhaps it’s hard to decipher a colleague’s meaning? Or maybe at times you struggle to make yourself understood? Language is at best a rough approximation of the concepts being communicated....